Football briefs: Dolphins winning the veteran way in young man’s game

Pro Football Weekly staff

Wednesday

Dec 31, 2008 at 12:01 AMDec 31, 2008 at 6:51 PM

PFW news on the Dolphins, Raiders, Chiefs, Eagles and Jets.

The Way We Hear It

The sense of purpose that Tony Sparano infused the Dolphins with since he took over last offseason has been unmistakable. Much of the credit for the team’s revival goes to a player personnel overhaul that called for the release of aging stalwarts in favor of a younger, more vibrant roster. The irony in all this is that Miami primarily is winning this season with many of the holdovers from its 1-15 club, in addition to first-year Dolphins who are on the downside of their career. In other words, the idea that youth has reinvigorated the team is stretching the truth. Although players such as Jake Long and Davone Bess have shown promise, the club’s last two draft classes have thus far been devoid of a signature star. Miami may have “arrived” ahead of schedule, but the age of many in its nucleus ensures that team brass must be proactive again this offseason to maintain their stunning success.

NFL Whispers

RAIDERS: The Raiders’ Johnnie Lee Higgins has emerged as the team’s top breakaway threat in the receiving corps, but sources in Oakland say the 5-foot-11 second-year veteran is not close to becoming the go-to guy. He will probably fit best as a No. 3 receiver. The club still needs to get a legitimate No. 1 for QB JaMarcus Russell, since Javon Walker, who finished the season on I.R., failed to fill that role, making just 15 catches in eight games.

CHIEFS: Head coach Herm Edwards said that he thinks the team’s rebuilding project is 85 percent done, and that the right moves this offseason could complete the process. He believes that the hard part is over, and that Kansas City will be successful as soon as 2009. Whether he is captaining the ship, however, remains to be seen.

EAGLES: We hear from people close to Eagles QB Donovan McNabb that he expects to be back next season, but it’s possible that he could agree to a more cap-friendly deal if his contract — which currently goes through 2010 — is extended with some more money paid up front. No one close to McNabb would touch that last part of the equation, but that would be a logical remedy for his high cap number for the next two seasons.

JETS: Kris Jenkins accepted blame for the Jets’ struggles defending the run late in the season, but we hear he didn’t regress as dramatically as it would appear, given the opposing running backs’ success down the stretch. Offenses responded to his barnstorming start to the season by devoting more O-linemen to block him, and Jenkins’ teammates didn’t pick up the slack. Nevertheless, back pain and fatigue did hamper him significantly.

For more NFL news and daily fantasy football advice, visit ProFootballWeekly.com.

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